page_title: M2 mortar
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: M2 mortar / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: M4 Collimator Sight, used for both indirect fire and direct lay missions.
context_page_description: The M2 Mortar is a 60 millimeter smoothbore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used by U.S. forces in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War for light infantry support.
context_section_description: The U.S. M2 60 mm mortar was developed from the heavier 81 mm M1 Mortar to provide a lighter-weight alternative to company-level fire support.  The M2 attempted to bridge the gap between the 81 mm mortar and the hand grenade.  Normally employed by the weapons platoon of a U.S. infantry company, the M2 is of the usual mortar pattern of the day.  It consists of a smoothbore metal tube on a rectangular baseplate, supported by a simple bipod with the elevation and traverse mechanisms.  The firing pin was fixed in the base cap of the tube, and the bomb was fired automatically when it dropped down the barrel.  Though classed as a light mortar, the M2 had considerable range compared to the 50 mm and 60 mm mortars of most other nations, and its fixed-firing pin design allowed a high rate of fire by trained crews.
caption: M4 Collimator sight, used for both indirect fire and direct lay missions.
exif: {}